The present invention relates to leaflets mailable as advertising direct mails by merchants and reporting sheets of credit balance by banks and credit card companies. More particularly, the present invention relates to postal leaflets for such use, the leaflet comprising three folded pages each carrying advertising phrases and reporting items, hereinafter referred to as "information". The folded pages have their fringes adhered to each other so as to close the entire body of the leaflet. Hereinafter the closed leaflet is referred to as an enveloped leaflet though no conventional envelop is used.
Nowadays various types of advertising circulars are used, among which direct mails are in wide use. Banks, credit card companies etc. monthly report credit balances to the list of customers. Such reports contain individual information which is required to be sent under cover. The known forms of direct mail are either ordinary postcards including double cards (reply-paid postcards) or enveloped letters. Postcards are disadvantageous in that the information printed on one side is in an uncovered state. In contrast, enveloped letters are advantageous in having an information under the cover of envelops. However, the letters are more expensive than postcards because of the more expensive postal stamps and the labor cost.
In order to solve the problems pointed out with respect to direct mails in the form of postcards and letters, a new form of leaflets have been made which comprise folded pages containing information held under cover.
By reference to FIGS. 4(a), 4(b) and 4(c), the known form of leaflet will be described:
A sheet (e.g. paper) 1a of a A4 size or slightly larger size is folded in three, which is commonly called "Z folds" named after the shape of its cross section. The sheet has pages (A), (B) and (C). In the illustrated example the page (A) has a front side on which a name and address are written. Either of the joining pages has an adhesive zones 2a coated along its fringe so as to form an enveloped leaflet as shown in FIG. 4(b). The recipient opens the enveloped leaflet as shown in FIG. 4(c) by cutting it along a line 3a. The other joined part remains at which the pages (A), (B) and (C) are joined like a book, hereinafter referred to as a "book style leaflet".
As is evident from FIG. 4(c), each page (A), (B) and (C) constitutes an independent page, which limits the space for placing information. Designers and copywriters prefer larger spaces which allow free layout of their designs and ideas. As shown in FIG. 4(C) the information on the pages (A), (B) and (C) are independently displayed; for example, when the information is a photograph or picture, it becomes discontinuous page by page. The discontinued photograph reduces its value. The book style leaflets does not allow information to be displayed as extensively as at one sight.